Does anyone know which common substances could trigger an explosive detector? I thinking maybe a nitrate based fertilizer.

Ashen_Victor
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2013-08-23T17:50:25Z —
#3

You mean pure and unadulterated racist bullshit?

Yes, it does.

Daedalus
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2013-08-23T18:01:00Z —
#4

The stinger at the end is what makes me all grumpy-cat face.

subversivemomma
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2013-08-23T18:07:34Z —
#5

EXACTLY. I wasn't especially surprised by the story-- as terrible as it may be. But the ending is what brings us into this new chapter in craziness,

xzzy
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2013-08-23T18:12:59Z —
#6

A shorter list would probably be what substances don't trigger a detector. They're absurdly sensitive and look for a huge list of substances, I think if every flyer's bags were subjected to that kind of scrutiny none of us would ever be allowed to fly.

jhutch2000
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2013-08-23T18:40:04Z —
#7

Actually, it was the ending the set off my BS alarm...

Why would an investigating team take a picture off the wall? Not only does it let the person know you were there, it also serves NO damn purpose! If the picture was useful intelligence ... take a quick snapshot with a camera!

I do believe the crap that happened at the airport (and yes, much of it was ignorant racism), but I don't think anyone searched his apartment and took the picture off the wall.

msbpodcast1
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2013-08-23T18:46:55Z —
#8

TSA is short for "The Shame of it All".

I'm taking the train these days...

pixelcowboy79
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2013-08-23T18:49:19Z —
#9

Well, not saying that is true, but it does send a strong message. It means, 'we are watching you'. Which is pretty much the single most terrorirific aspect of this whole new surveillance regime.

cosine
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2013-08-23T19:24:26Z —
#10

Yes... the gov't behaves completely logically at all times... they never do fucked up weird shit for no reason... ever...

Daedalus
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2013-08-23T19:31:23Z —
#11

Given the level of ignorance on display, I would not be in the least bit surprised that the reason for taking the picture is that someone thought this guy was some terrorist icon or saint, and so worth finding out more about.

I suspect those machines may be looking for drugs, the explosives business being a line of bull we are fed. That or they just light up when the person running them presses a button because they want to search you.

Friend of mine went to a workshop on stage pyrotechnics. Spent all week handling and setting off all manner of explosives. After the last day of the workshop, he headed straight to the airport - no change of clothes, no shower - where he walked through an "explosive detector" without setting it off.

WearySky
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2013-08-23T19:45:57Z —
#14

Of course, it seems like terribly bad police work to tip off the person that you're watching, to let them know that you're watching them. Because then, if they are terrorists, they're just going to be more careful. You want them to be SLOPPY, not CAREFUL. If they're actual terrorists, letting them know you're watching isn't going to suddenly stop them from being terrorists. If anything, it's just going to piss them off more.

Daedalus said:

Given the level of ignorance on display, I would not be in the least bit surprised that the reason for taking the picture is that someone thought this guy was some terrorist icon or saint, and so worth finding out more about.

Again, TERRIBLE police work. You can take a picture of the picture without tipping off the suspect. See also: not leaving shit exactly where you found it (the bags moved out from the wall), especially in a nearly empty apartment where that is exceedingly likely to be noticed.

The connection to Ramadan seems tenuous here though, at best. I have a feeling that REGARDLESS of when he was travelling, if he had opted out of the pornoscanner and set off the explosives detector, the result would have been the same.

getoffmylawn
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2013-08-23T19:49:43Z —
#15

They were asking him about his medications because nitroglycerin is commonly used for chronic heart problems like angina. And it can come out of your body in your sweat. Even just glycerin can set off the bomb swab machines.

PrestonSturges
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2013-08-23T20:22:40Z —
#17

Common hand lotions trigger the detectors.

anonotwit
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2013-08-23T23:47:29Z —
#18

It really depends on what the objective was. If the objective was to find out what he was doing, then yes, it was terrible police work.

If the objective was to intimidate him, then it looks like it succeeded. (Don't equate this with approval. as I certainl don't think this was good.)

To be honest, I also think it's possible that he was so spooked by his treatment at the hands of the TSA that he is misinterpreting what he found at his apartment.

PrestonSturges
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2013-08-24T04:57:58Z —
#19

Yeah well if you didn't see "Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo"

It's a bong!

NathanHornby
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2013-08-24T11:12:54Z —
#20

As a Brit keeping an eye on current affairs over the past few weeks nothing would surprise me any more to be honest. Western governments are going full dystopian.

wanderandwonder
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2013-08-25T02:56:22Z —
#21

The part where they take down the picture also screams "BS" to me. The more I look into these incidences - like the one who was detained in Bangkok for 10 days - the less evidence I see of racism. This one got the airport treatment because he opted out of the scanner but caused the bomb detector to go off, not because he's brown and Hindu.

Likewise, the other guy got detained because he was traveling in countries known to have terrorist training connections with a fundamentalist group known to have terrorism links, and refused to answer questions about what he was doing (prior to crossing international borders), not because he was brown and Muslim.